Fishing bait pens are known. Typically fishing bait pens include two spaced apart members having a netting extending between them as well as a bottom netting. When disposed in the water, these fishing bait pens float because one of the two spaced apart members is buoyant. The other spaced apart member sinks in the water, thereby causing the fishing bait pen to form a submerged bait pen.
Furthermore, the spaced apart members are usually constructed of PVC piping. While these PVC pipe sections may be slightly flexible, they cannot be collapsed. Also, while the spaced apart members comprising PVC pipe can be positioned together thereby decreasing the height of the fishing bait pen, the PVC pipes themselves cannot be bent and folded over each other so as to reduce the effective diameter or cross-sectional area of the fishing bait pen.
This is of considerable concern because fishing bait pens are carried by fishing boats, and particularly sport fishing boats, and have very little storage area. Often these fishing bait pens are stored on a T-top that forms a part of a boat. In any event, storage space on a boat is minimal and because of the use of PVC pipe in fishing bait pens, they cannot be collapsed down to a relatively small size.